The X5 Resolution
by The Hermione Granger Fan Club
Summary: 2009 was the year that changed everything for the X5s. How did it start for them? Featuring all my pathetic original X5s, and for you S/K fans, one eensy tiny little HINT of future S/K.


Eight-year-old Jondy sat up on her bed, shivering. It was the depths of December and snow was thick on the ground, so thick that Brin had caught something dire and had only that day slunk back into line in the quadrangle.   
  
She burrowed further under her blanket, not wishing to put her feet on the floor for the world. Max, in the next cot, crept into her cot beside her. Without talking, they settled themselves for a long sleep.   
  
"Jondy. Max. Wake up."   
  
Syl stood beside their bed, with Tinga and Eva.   
  
"Don't wanna get up," moaned Jondy.   
  
Max chimed in, "I won't get up if Jondy doesn't get up!"  
  
"Something's happening outside. Something big. Ben and Zack want us out of bed," wheedled Tinga. With strong hands she flipped up the left side of the blanket, grabbed Max's arm and dragged her out of bed.   
  
"Nooo!" yelled Max, but she found she was giggling. She suddenly shivered.   
  
Jondy groaned and climbed out after her, running down to the lockers at the far end of the room. She changed into sweatpants and a hooded sweatshirt, teeth still chattering, and heard a commotion at the windows the other end of the dormitory.   
  
Ben had taken his usual spot on the windowsill, with Eva next to him. That meant he was going to tell a story. NOW? whined Jondy inwardly, but crept over to the assembly, sitting between Max and Jack.   
  
"Eva, tell them what you saw," said Ben, on confirming that everyone was there.  
  
"One of the cafeteria ladies was wearing big sparkly ear jewellery that said two-zero-zero-nine," said Eva softly, not used to having this much of the X5s attention directed at her.   
  
Ben elbowed her.   
  
"In digits," she added, looking embarrassed.   
  
"I saw that too," interjected Krit. "They were kind of ugly."  
  
"You got us out of bed because some cafeteria lady was wearing ear things?" moaned someone. "They ALL wear ear things."  
  
"Well, Lydecker told her to take them off. Told her the day was no excuse for breaking the dress code." Zack told the group.   
  
"What day?" asked Tinga.  
  
"We're getting to that," said Ben. "I also found this in the quad."  
  
He held up a paper cup with HAPPY 2009 emblazoned on it.   
  
"What's a two thousand-nine?" piped up Jack. "And how come it's happy? Is it a good thing?"   
  
"Is it a soldier?"  
  
"It's a number, like us!"  
  
Jondy, for once, really wanted to go back to bed. "Ben, would you just tell us what a two thousand-nine is so I can go back to bed?"  
  
"It's a celebration," said Ben importantly. "Of what, I'm not sure. But everyone puts it on his or her clothes."  
  
"I know," said Brin, and everyone turned to her. "I saw it nearby the soldiers' barracks. You see, a certain amount of days make up a year. And each year has a number-"  
  
"Like us," observed Cloe, removing her fingers from her mouth for a second. Everyone gave her nails an appalled look. She never left them alone.   
  
"Yes," continued Brin. "And right now, we are living in a year called two thousand-eight."  
  
You could practically see the gears turning in everyone's head. "So-oo," said Max suddenly. "A two thousand-nine is the year after two thousand-eight."  
  
"So tonight the year is going to change."  
  
"You mean," asked Jondy. "that after tonight it's never, ever going to be two thousand-eight again?"  
  
There was a silence.  
  
"I guess so," said Ben quietly.   
  
"It's logical," said Jace, who went to sit next to Eva on the windowsill. Ben and Eva scooted along.   
  
"But isn't that sort of sad?" asked Roman, collecting nods from a great many X5s.   
  
"It is," said Tinga, frowning. "Everything might be different in the new year."  
  
"How different could it be?" scoffed Zane. "Every single year of our lives has been almost exactly the same. We wake up, we train, we memorise, we run, we jump, we swim, we eat, we exercise, we shower, we go to bed and Ben tells us stories. Nothing is ever going to change."  
  
"Not exactly the same," said Eva. "Remember when we were little, Maxie, and you saw a butterfly on the window of our first dormitory?"  
  
Max smiled and nodded. She remembered how beautiful the butterfly had been...  
  
Max had stood by the frosted-glass window, staring at the butterfly. She'd never seen so much colour before. She wanted to hold it forever and ever, but it had flown away into the sky. Max had wished she could fly. Perhaps the freedom to come and go as one chose was how it was meant to be.  
  
"A butterfly. Big deal," said Clay.   
  
Max glared at him. SHE'D thought it was a big deal. "Well, when did anything momentous happen to you, Clay?"  
  
"Plenty of times," he answered, grinning. "First time we got handguns."  
  
"They're not exactly ours, are they?" said Jondy, defending her best friend.   
  
"I heard," said Brin, "that at the new year, everyone has to make a secret promise called a resolution of something they want to do in the year."  
  
"What's the point of them if they're secret?" asked Ben.   
  
Brin rolled her eyes as if this was obvious. "So you won't feel stupid if you fail."  
  
"When are we supposed to make resolutions, then?" asked Tinga. "Now? In the morning? Should we have already made them?"  
  
There came, quite suddenly, an explosion of noise from outside the dormitory. A salute was being fired. On the horizon, very far away, they could see fireworks.   
  
The X5s had never seen fireworks before. They were dumbstruck. "What are those?" muttered Omri.   
  
"It's the sky practicing for the end of the world," said someone.   
  
Ben smiled. "No. It's two thousand-nine coming and two thousand-eight leaving forever."  
  
"I guess now's as good a time as any to make resolutions," commented Jace.   
  
Zack looked into the dark end of the dormitory and thought about the last year. I resolve, he though silently, to keep my unit safe from harm.  
  
Jace gave Omri a fierce look as he pushed her to see out of the window. I resolve to be a good soldier and to be loyal to Manticore, she thought, and turned her usual glare to the lights over the mountains.   
  
"Happy New Year," said Jack hesitantly. I resolve, he thought privately, to live 'til the end of the year.   
  
"Yeah..." intoned Saul slowly. He decided it was stupid to make a resolution when no-one else was going to, but it couldn't hurt. I resolve to be a good brother and not to tease the girls like I do.  
  
"Yeah! Happy New Year!" said Zane happily. Zane thought, I resolve to become second-in-command material. And not to let Jace annoy me so much.   
  
"Happy New Year."   
  
"Happy New Year."  
  
I resolve to be the hero for once, thought Eva, and she put an arm around Jace, holding her close. Usually affection made Jace uneasy, but this was just right... Then she hopped down and gave Max and Jondy a hug each. Each girl was surprised- Eva didn't usually just walk up to you and give you a hug.   
  
"So now it's two thousand-nine?" asked Krit. "Hey, Syl, that means I'm nine like you!"  
  
She smiled. "No, Krit. That means you're nine like I used to be in two thousand-eight. I'm ten now."  
  
"Happy New Year," said Iria, a thin child who somewhat resembled Brin. She resolved to think of the more important things, and to fuel all her energy into them.   
  
Syl seemed to be steeling herself for something. She went up on her tiptoes and gave Krit a kiss on the cheek. I resolve, thought Syl, to not let my trigger finger get the best of me and to always stick with Krit.  
  
"Things are only going to get better from here. We're older now."  
  
"Not THAT old," put in Amna, putting an arm around Omri. "Some of us are still in charge, OMRI." She resolved to look after her little brother with everything she had in her.   
  
Omri sighed at his sister's protective instincts. He gave her a smile and resolved to make Amna happy no matter what. Also, he resolved to grow up faster.  
  
Krit gave Syl a surprised look. Krit had always been tall for his age, and towered over his partner in crime. He shrugged, stooped and returned the kiss. She grinned at him and went to talk with Tinga. Krit thought, staring after the older girl, I resolve to be brave and to always stick with Syl.  
  
Cloe gave her nails a disgusted look. I'm gonna resolve to stop biting my stupid nails, and to be the perfect female X5. She tried to smile. 2008 was gone. Took it long enough, she thought.  
  
Tinga turned to Ben at the window. "So," she said. "It's a new year. That means we're ten now."  
  
"Yeah," said Ben. "Happy New Year, Tinga." He gave her a small smile. I resolve, Ben told himself fiercely, to be a good soldier and to explain everything in the whole world.  
  
"Great," Tinga said with a dazzling smile, and jogged to Brin. "Brinny! I can't believe it's a whole new year. It's never going to be two thousand-eight again."  
  
"What are you going to resolve, Tinga?" Brin silently promised herself to be good, to fight hard and fast and to perfect her side kick.   
  
"It has to be a secret, Brin," said Tinga severely. She looked around. Tinga thought, I resolve to get out of here with Brin and Ben and Max. And one day to have my hair down to my hips.   
  
The celebrations hushed for a moment as Splint managed to trip over a cot and land flat on his face, chipping a tooth. Face almost glowing with embarrassment, he scrambled to his feet. I resolve to make something of myself before I die, he thought, and tried to make the angry feeling inside him go away.   
  
The fireworks were fading. "I bet they scared the Nomalies so bad they won't even THINK about taking any of us away, right, Ben?" asked Roman hopefully.   
  
"I guess," said Ben, giving him an odd look.   
  
Roman shoved his hands into his pockets. Why am I so scared all of the time? he wondered. I want- I mean, I resolve to be brave where I would usually stand back and do nothing.   
  
Everyone began to make their way back to their beds, talking excitedly about the strange, beautiful lights of the year 2008 going away.   
  
"I agree with Zane, though. This year probably isn't going to be that different," said Clay, hopping into bed. He looked around the room. All this New Year stuff was weird. But still... it couldn't hurt to make a resolution.   
  
I resolve, he thought, to kick some ass this year. And to help the ones who are too slow.   
  
Jondy made her way back to her cot, discarding her sweatshirt on the floor. "Room for one more, Maxie." Max climbed in beside her.   
  
"Hey Jondy?" she whispered when the room had quieted down. Her voice was almost too low for human ears to ear. "What was your resolution?"  
  
Jondy hesitated. "To stick with you for life, dummy."   
  
Max gave her a push. "Thanks!" she giggled.  
  
"What was yours?"  
  
"Same thing 'cept with you, genius."  
  
Jondy felt a warm rush of love for her sister. "Really?"  
  
"And to get into the Outside. Happy New Year." Max yawned catlike and turned over, her back to Jondy.   
  
These silly resolutions and wants and promises were useless anyhow. 2009 was probably going to be just another ordinary year for the X5s...  
  
Yeah.  
  
Jondy sighed and even with this depressing thought didn't feel so bitterly cold any more.   
  
* * *   
  
DISCLAIMER: 'Dark Angel' belongs to James Cameron and Fox. Not me. So don't sue.   
  
NOTE: Want to see Iria, all grown up? Go to this URL (http://members.tripod.com/~Ashantai/DarkAngel/misc_adults.html) at the extremely cool website Ashantai's X5 Resource. See the woman up the top of the page, with the brown hair? That's Iria. I know she doesn't really look that much like Brin, but I thought it would be cool for Brin to be, even distantly, actually genetically related to another X5. On second thoughts, check out the rest of the site. It rocks! 


End file.
